1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a single lens instantaneous 3D image taking device in the application of digital image taking devices.
2. Related Art
As shown in FIG. 1, a usual method of obtaining the three-dimensional image of an object 4 is to use two cameras 1, 2 to simultaneously take its images from different perspectives and to use a third camera 3 to shoot for texture mapping (the area enclosed by the paired dashed lines in FIG. 1, showing the angles for taking the pictures of the object 4 by the cameras 1, 2, 3). Through image correlation (the overlapping areas in the images taken by the cameras 1, 2 are correlated so that the same points of the object 4 on the pictures can be associated with each other) and triangulation reconstruction, the three-dimensional information of the object 4 is recovered. In addition, some systems use active light source to produce special projection pattern to replace the above-mentioned camera 2 and obtain the three-dimensional information of the object 4 using special decoding methods. Some others use laser scanning and take pictures step by step in order to obtain the three-dimensional information.
When one wants to record the colors on the object surfaces, the camera 3 has to be a color camera. Color texture mapping has to be made too in order to obtain a colorful image of the object 4.
When the previously mentioned technology is used in obtaining colorful 3D information, several complicated hardware systems and algorithms have to be employed. However, it is still not available to have convenient, colorful and instantaneous 3D precise image taking.
It is then a primary object of the invention to provide a single lens instantaneous 3D image taking device so as to quickly take a precise 3D shape and its color information.
The disclosed single lens instantaneous 3D image taking device contains a lens, an aperture disk and a single sensor installed and aligned in a straight line. The aperture disk has three off-optical-axis apertures with different angular coordinates for light to pass through. When in use, light first passes through the lens, followed by the three apertures on the aperture disk. Therefore, images from the three apertures (with different angles) are projected onto the sensor, giving images from three different angles. Finally, through active or passive image correlation, a precise 3D range image can be obtained.